DEFENDING THE PEN – is all about murder . . . and romance . . . writing it! I post interviews, book reviews, and flash fiction, and occasionally it's all about me. Careful . . . you may end up the victim . . . of fun!

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Monday, December 1, 2014

HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS

Meet Ann Noser, author of How To Date Dead Guys.
and her newest novel, soon to be released How to Ditch Dead Guys.

Q. I understand you're a busy mom and
have to steal time to write, tell us one of the biggest things you've learned
on the creative / publishing / marketing journey. Do you have any advice for
the novice?

Advice:

Be
prepared to spend a lot of time and money when starting out--consider yourself
forewarned--marketing takes much more time than you expect.

Although
a lot of people recommend writing EVERY day, that doesn't work for me. I write
when the spirit moves me (and when the children are otherwise occupied). I
don't pretend to know what everyone else needs in their lives, but I suggest
following your own heart and not someone else's rules.

Q. What is the most exciting thing to
have happened to you because of your creativity and if fame and success were
yours, how would it change you and your plans?

Book
signings have been wonderful. I've had people (old friends, classmates,
and teachers) attend them that I haven't seen in years.

I
hope fame wouldn't change me much. Not sure if I'll find out. :)

Q.Blogging
has changed. I even read a blog that asks the question have authors ruined
blogging due to cover reveals, and book tours. What is your opinion of the
direction and subject of current blogs and the need for authors to blog about
their journey and advertise their books? What do you enjoy, in regards to
blogs, whether reading or writing one?

This
raises a good point. A lot of blogs promote books. I enjoy finding out about
new books, and just screen past the genres I'm not interested in (I don't care
much for erotica or heavy romance, but that's just me). This blog made me
realize that lately I've spent more time organizing blogs to promote other
people's books than I have just plain blogging or writing about other things
that are important to me. It's good to make this realization. Perhaps I need to
address this. But this also brings up the point that sometimes it's hard to
know just how much time one should spend on writing, and how much on each
type: marketing, blogging, new projects, etc.

If
you're curious about where the question on blogging came from - the
Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh posted the question on a recent blog.
Follow the link if you want to get in on the discussion.Are Authors Killing Blogging?

Just for fun!

Q. If you could visit any time period,
would you go back or forward and why?

I'd love to meet my
parents when they were young.

Q. If you could live and write
anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I'd like to visit all
the national parks, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. I like where I
live now.

Q. If you were the President with
complete power, what would you do with it?

What a horrible
question! (haha) I'd do the best I could, and make a lot of enemies, just
like every other president has done, I imagine.

Q. If zombies attacked, what would
you do, and why?

Probably die, because
they are zombies.

Q. Have you ever read the last page
of a novel first? Why? Did you read the entire book afterwards?

No! But I know people
who do. Gah!

Q. What entices you to buy a book,
the cover, the blurb, the writing, or the author?

All of the above.

*****

HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS

College
sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around,
don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”. But when charming Mike
Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life
shatters.

Blamed
for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a
mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights
candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked
river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to
the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he
isn't the only one.

Instead
of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med
student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his
own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first. More comfortable with the
dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows.
Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the
vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.

Inspired
by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will ignite the
secret powers hidden deep within each of us.

Meet the Author:

My
to-do list dictates that I try to cram 48 hours of living into a day instead of
the usual 24.I’ve chosen a life filled
with animals.I train for marathons with
my dog, then go to work as a small animal veterinarian, and finish the day by
tripping over my pets as I attempt to convince my two unruly children that YES,
it really IS time for bed.But I can’t
wait until the house is quiet to write; I have to steal moments throughout the
day.Ten minutes here, a half hour
there, I live within my imagination.

Like
all busy American mothers, I multi-task.I work out plot holes during runs.Instead of meditating, I type madly during yoga stretches.I find inspiration in everyday things:a beautiful smile, a heartbreaking song, or a
newspaper article on a political theory.For example, a long drive in the dark listening to an NPR program on the
SMILEY FACE MURDERS theory made me ask so many questions that I wrote HOW TO
DATE DEAD GUYS to answer them to my satisfaction.

I’d
love to have more time to write (and run, read, and sleep), but until I find
Hermione Granger’s time turner, I will juggle real life with the half-written
stories in my head.Main characters and
plot lines intertwine in my cranium, and I need to let my writing weave the
tales on paper so I can find out what happens next.

I just signed the contract, and sent it
off to the editor, so I have no dates to share.

Description:

How
to DITCH Dead Guys, a 73,000 word count New Adult, Urban Fantasy (Book Two in
the Under the Blood Moon series). This book is a bit darker than the first.
Many of the characters remain the same, and the storyline arc follows nicely
after the setup of book one.

Blurb:

After
everyone EMMA ROBERTS raises from the dead sinks back into the river, she longs
for a purpose. A schedule. Something to accomplish.

Then
OFFICER WALKER leaves a message on her voice mail: "There's been
another murder, and I need your help."

With
a bag of witchcraft supplies slung over her shoulder, Emma performs a séance
for Walker at the site of the murder. But nothing happens until Emma gets back
home.

Black
smoke swirls inside the bathroom. An invisible force slams her head onto the
tiled floor. A golden snake slithers across her legs, then impales her wrist
with its icy teeth.

As
the smoke clears and the images fade, the truth becomes clear.

This
time around, Emma won't just watch what happened. She'll live it.

As
Emma helps Officer Walker solve murder cases, she relives the horror of each
victim's last moments of life. From the edge of the river to the underground
lair of the gang who murdered Steve, she endures it all.

As
Emma weakens, both the victims and the murderers who killed them fight for
control of her body and mind.

She's
possessed, and the voices inside her head won't let her ask for help.

Even
the Book of Shadows can't save her now…

*Just curious, would you consider dating a dead guy - especially if you knew how to ditch him if it didn't work out?

Would love to hear from you, say hello and leave your blog address - I'll visit, but please take with you my undying gratitude that you stopped by for a read. Be well, be happy, and may your blog surfing bring you joy!